Exercise has well known therapeutic benefits, as the proliferation of exercise equipment for the home, office and gymnasium so attests. Much of the attention is focused on active exercise (where the body is in constant motion) equipment that has springs or the like for providing resistance to motion. Often such equipment is provided with articulated, movable joints to perform specialized workouts. Although the forgoing improvements are significant to the industry, limitations persist and other arrangements may be used to advantage. Passive devices, such as chinning bars and the like, have not had so much attention, and there has been few inventive innovations in such passive exercise equipment.
A limitation of active exercises is that, due to inertia, it takes less force to maintain a body in motion than to initiate the motion. Passive exercises, generally, require that a weight or body stop, reverse direction and start motion again. The subtle act of weight transference while the body is at rest will cause beneficial muscle contractions. These muscles contractions, in passive exercises, may be directed to parts of the body not often acted upon.
The bicycle exercise equipment found in virtually every workout area provides resistance to the foot pressing down on the pedal (as in bicycle riding), and a toe clip provides for resistance to the foot as the foot pulls the pedal upwards. The toe clip expands the therapeutic capabilities of the device in a limited way, but there is a need to expand and improve upon this device.
Another device called the "Roman Chair" which is designed especially for sit-ups that exercise the abdominal areas can be improved to extend exercise beyond the abdominal muscles.
Even common leg extension/press exercise equipment can be improved to provide for exercising more than the legs alone.
An important object of the present invention is to provide a beneficial passive exercise for the feet, ankles, legs and lower torso.
Another object of this invention is to provide a flexible apparatus which can be used at home, the office or in conjunction with other exercise equipment.
Another object of the present invention is to provide exercise for parts of the body often overlooked by other exercise equipment and other exercise routines, e.g., aerobics.
Another important object of this invention is to provide for expanded therapeutic capabilities for bicycle exercise and leg extension/press machines. It is yet another object of this invention to provide for low cost exercise apparatus.